Chopin's Lyrical and Narrative Styles

There are several ways to observe the styles Chopin employed in his piano works, but one possible classification is into lyrical and narrative styles. Representative examples of the former are the Nocturnes and Mazurkas, while typical examples of the latter are the Ballades and Scherzos.

In lyrical compositions, individual phrases and melodic figures are often presented in a list-like manner, with very loose connections, whereas in narrative compositions, one can perceive a sense of kishōtenketsu (introduction, development, turn, conclusion) within a single piece. The clear dramatic quality arises, first, because the harmonic progressions are distinct, and particularly because the standard dominant-tonic progression (the part that moves from "turn" to "conclusion") is well-maintained. Furthermore, individual motives may develop through techniques such as variation, inversion, repetition, and expansion; even without the elaborate workmanship found in Viennese Classical sonatas, multiple themes are intricately combined to construct the piece.

In other words, works with a narrative structure, such as the Ballades, Scherzos, Barcarolle, and Bolero, create a dynamic and dramatic musical time that progresses inevitably from beginning to end, and these elements are key points for appreciation. (As an aside, in lyrical works, the listener's ear is allowed to wander within a kind of musical space, where the music lingers while subtly transforming, with no clear sense of return or progression.)

Now, where do the differences lie between the Ballades and Scherzos, of which four pieces each remain?

It is abundantly clear from the music itself that these genres are closely related within Chopin's oeuvre. Moreover, it seems almost impossible to clearly distinguish between the two genres based on their form. One reason is that these are genres unique to Chopin; even examining the traditions of the genres from which they are thought to derive reveals nothing that connects the two. However, even if they cannot be distinguished by their external musical form, their respective musical content, or rather, the content of their "narratives," differs somewhat.

"Scherzo" means "joke" in Italian, and traditionally referred to a bright, light, small-scale piece in a simple form.Beethoven incorporated it into the third movement of his sonatas as a substitute for the minuet, it was still given an extremely rapid and humorous character. Chopin's Scherzos, at first glance, seem to completely contradict this tradition, being dark, serious, and large in scale. However, when compared to the Ballades, it becomes clear how much humor the Scherzos actually contain. In all four Scherzos, more than one extremely rapid and leggiero motive appears, interjecting at various points. Furthermore, intense dynamic contrasts are specified in each section.

Such techniques are almost absent in the Ballades. Each motive and each note is bound by its preceding and succeeding context, allowing no deviation. Somber themes appear one after another, accumulating to form a torrent, ultimately leading to a catastrophic conclusion. This is in contrast to the Scherzos, which resolve this kind of stress with lighthearted melodic figures and almost comical contrasts.

It is also worth noting that all four Ballades are written in compound duple meter, while the Scherzos are in triple meter, which could be considered their only external distinguishing feature. However, since most of the Scherzos form a phrase in two measures throughout, they still contain the strong driving force of duple meter.

Formal Characteristics of Chopin's Scherzos

All Scherzos adopt an A-B-A form. This follows the scherzo as a substitute for the minuet movement, as used by Haydn and Beethoven. However, the appearance of two contrasting themes in the A section, and the almost complete repetition of the first half in the second half of the A section, indicate an inclination towards sonata form. Furthermore, a brilliant coda, including a stretto, further increases the scale of the piece and elevates its dignity.

Viewed in this way, Chopin's Scherzos can be considered as inheriting and elaborating upon the formal stature of the third movement of the piano sonata perfected by Beethoven. On the other hand, in his own Piano Sonatas No. 2 and No. 3, he took a step away from the Viennese Classical tradition by placing the scherzo in the second movement. Especially in No. 2, Op. 35, a large-scale scherzo with multiple themes is employed. Chopin probably did not write the Scherzos as character pieces and name them as such. Rather, they were a stepping stone for his own sonatas.

Specifics of Scherzo No. 4

In the Fourth Scherzo, the principle of "contrast" is not as intense. Rather, the themes in all sections are agile and bright. Although it is of an unparalleled scale at 966 measures, from the musical affect, it well preserves the original meaning of the word "scherzo."

The middle section of this piece is a paraphrase of the opening theme and begins like the development section of a sonata form. Furthermore, the recapitulation (from measure 601) features a heavier accompaniment, increasing the textural density compared to the exposition, but it is an almost complete repetition. In other words, it can be said that while employing a leggiero theme unsuited to traditional sonata form, it adopts a scheme very close to sonata form.